Phoenix Business Journal - RedLine Athletics expands into Arizona

The franchising mastermind behind Massage Envy and The Joint has turned his focus to a new concept that offers personalized training for young athletes.

John Leonesio, who founded Scottsdale-based Massage Envy in 2002, now serves as CEO of RedLine Athletics, a personalized training concept out of Southern California that has begun franchising.

RedLine will open its first franchise in Scottsdale this month at the corner of Hayden Road and Raintree Drive.

RedLine offers a variety of training services for young athletes, generally in the age range of 8 to 18. There are no appointments or set times, Leonesio said, so members can come in whenever is convenient for them.

Packages from $90 to $199 a month are available, but Leonesio stressed that RedLine will work with an individual’s own situation.

“It’s more tailored to individual need rather than individual membership,” he said.

RedLine locations can range in size from 5,000 to 8,000 square feet. The franchise fee is $39,000 and total opening costs range from $100,000 to $150,000, Leonesio said. Each employs between 5 and 10 trainers in a variety of sports from basketball and baseball to lacrosse and soccer.

RedLine was started by former pro player Lyndsey Simmons. Leonesio became involved when he took his children to the first RedLine in California for additional training.

“My kids started training there and had amazing results,” Leonesio said. “They had a great atmosphere.”

That was three years ago and since then, he has opened a store of his own in Colorado Springs, Colo. and worked toward developing a scalable franchise model for the concept.

In addition to the Scottsdale store, Leonesio said the company has plans for 60 RedLine locations across its first four markets in the first few years. In addition to Arizona, those markets include San Diego, Orange County, Calif. and Houston.

“Based on the demographic studies we’ve looked at, there’s a potential of, over the next 10 years, 800 locations around the country,” he said.

Personal training is a $9 billion industry, according to Los Angeles-based research firm IbisWorld. With a continued shift toward more physical activity and fitness, demand is expected to grow in the next half decade or so.